Kep Crabs
From fragrant notes of lemongrass to zesty bites of galangal, Cambodian natural produce is every bit as spectacular as its more famed national attractions. Although it’s undoubtedly enjoyable to sample local ingredients as part of famous dishes such as amok or lok lak, sometimes the chef needs to stand back and let the core ingredient be the star of the show. This is never truer than for the meaty, scuttling king of Cambodian seafood: the Kep crab.
The sleepy seaside town of Kep is located 164km south of Phnom Penh and is known for its chic French colonial architecture, sandy beaches and warm waters. However, walking along the winding promenade away from the main beach, visitors may get a glimpse of the real reason Kep is becoming an increasingly popular tourist spot. Every day, fishermen can be seen wading knee-deep into the waters with their woven baskets, emerging with their prize: glistening fresh crabs.
Kep crab is a blue swimmer crab especially renowned for its taste in curries. The town is so proud of its regional icon that it has erected a giant metal crab statue, which greets visitors with a jaunty cocked claw as they drive along to the main beach. Here, seafood is always served fresh from the waves, so it won’t be more than a couple of hours until each crab plucked from the sea is filling the belly of a hungry visitor.
Options abound when it comes to sampling the gorgeously sweet and meaty crab. Culinary adventurers head straight to the Kep crab market, where they can choose the choicest live catches from vendor’s baskets, haggling down the price before paying a few thousand riel to have them steamed at a nearby stall.
This is the cheapest and most interactive crab experience, but visitors looking for a more hassle-free dinner will find it in the homey row of restaurants near the market, which all have crab platters as the highlight of the menu. Served still in the shell often with a thick, peppery sauce, diners get to dig into each crab, scooping out the flesh in a messy and satisfying culinary experience.
However, you don’t have to go to Kep to sample its seafood. Phnom Penh’s most modern and creative restaurants also fully appreciate the wonderful ingredient. Timothy Bruyns is the head chef of the Phnom Penh eatery, The Common Tiger, whose menu features the humble Kep crab chicly transformed into a piece of fine dining by the restaurant’s signature minimalist elegance.
“Crabs pulled out from the ocean are in Phnom Penh markets within hours, still alive and ready to be bought and cooked,” explains Bruyns. Following the philosophy of ‘what grows together, goes together’ he often matches Kep crab with the equally famous and distinctive pepper of the nearby river town, Kampot. “The balance of heat and fragrance that is unique to Kampot pepper blends and rides along with the sweet, soft flesh of the crab,” he says. “We also sometimes pair it with pork, avocado, leeks, capsicum, spring onion or a combination of these.”
Whether eaten straight from the Kep market vendors or in Phnom Penh’s chicest restaurants, the Kep crab is Cambodia’s not-to-be-missed culinary treat. Don’t be shy: crack open the shell and dig in!
